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The Green Archer (1940 serial)
The Green Archer is the 12th serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was based on Edgar Wallace's 1923 novel The Green Archer, which had previously been adapted into the silent serial of the same name in 1925 by Pathé Exchange. Plot The struggle over the Bellamy estate ends with Michael Bellamy accused of murder and killed on the way to prison, while his brother, Abel Bellamy, takes control of the estate for his own nefarious plans. Bellamy is using Garr Castle as a base for his jewelry-theft ring, and he kidnaps his brother's wife to keep things quiet. Insurance investigator Spike Holland enters the case, and Bellamy continually dispatches his resident gang to do away with him. Detective Thompson, representing the law, is seldom of any help. Meanwhile, the estate's fabled "Green Archer", a masked, leotard-clad marksman, steals silently through Garr Castle and the estate grounds, confounding the enemy forces. Columbia's 12th serial of 57 total (following 1940's "Deadwood Dick" and ahead of 1941's "White Eagle") is another of director's James Horne's "classics" where he evidently figured that the same reactions that served him well in Laurel and Hardy films would work well in action serials where he has all hands, heroes and villains alike, doing some kind of over-the top "take", no matter the situation. This loose adaptation of an Edgar Wallace story finds Michael Bellamy (Kenne Duncan in his Kenneth Duncan period) inheriting Garr Castle, but his brother, Abel Bellamy (James Craven, as usual making Oil-Can Harry look smooth), has him imprisoned unjustly and moves into the castle himself. When Michael's wife, Elaine Bellamy (Dorothy Fay), fails to return after visiting Abel, her sister Valerie Howett (Iris Meredith), accompanied by their father, Parker Howett (Forrest Taylor) and PRIVATE DETECTIVE Spike Holland (Victor Jory, who even when playing the lead hero gets a villain's name), rent an adjoining estate, determined to investigate the case. Abel is afraid they will discover his association with a gang of jewel thieves and desperately - with Horne directing and Craven emoting, desperate is the only word - tries to have them all killed, and anybody else that might be standing around wondering how ten henchmen could fit in a six-passenger car. Each attempt is thwarted by the sudden appearance of the mysterious Green Archer, who is always there with his deadly bow and arrows whenever needed. It takes Abel most of the 15 chapters before he succeeds in capturing Spike, Valerie and Mr. Howett, but the shadow of the Green Archer's feathered Robin-Hood cap is on one of the walls of Garr Castle, and moving in. This serial is an example of a fifteen-episode production that could have been rented for a twelve-episode run, as three episodes use an entirely self-contained subplot concerning the theft of a synthetic radium formula. ='=Chapter titles='= # Prison Bars Beckon # The Face at the Window # The Devil's Dictograph # Vanishing Jewels # The Fatal Spark # The Necklace of Treachery # The Secret Passage # Garr Castle is Robbed # Mirror of Treachery # The Dagger that Failed # The Flaming Arrow # The Devil Dogs # The Deceiving Microphone # End of Hope # The Green Archer Exposed Cast *Victor Jory as Spike Holland, investigator *Iris Meredith as Valerie Howett, Elaine Bellamy's sister *James Craven as Abel Bellamy, villain running a gang of jewel thieves in Garr Castle *Robert Fiske as Savini, one of Abel Bellamy's henchmen *Dorothy Fay as Elaine Bellamy, Michael Bellamy's wife, kidnapped and held in Garr Castle *Forrest Taylor as Parker Howett, Elaine Bellamy's father *Jack Ingram as Brad, one of Abel Bellamy's henchmen posing as the Green Archer *Joseph W. Girard as Inspector Ross *Fred Kelsey as Captain Thompson *Kit Guard as Dinky Stone, Abel Bellamy's radio henchman *Kenne Duncan as Michael Bellamy, Abel's falsely accused brother killed on the way to prison Stunt * Eddie Parker doubling for Victor Jory (Spike Holland) Production The script was written by Morgan B. Cox, John Cutting, and Jesse A. Duffy. Director James W. Horne also contributed to the script, which often emphasizes tongue-in-cheek comedy. Under Horne's direction, the heroes and villains exaggerate the melodrama — James Craven is enjoyably florid as the villain, and his henchmen also play for laughs, with comedian Fred Kelsey cast as a very dumb detective. The serial was released in the US on October 1, 1940, and in Latin America in March 1941 under the title El Arquero Verde (in English with Spanish subtitles). The Green Archer was one of 1940's best remembered serials. Novel See also * List of film serials by year * List of film serials by studio References External links * * Category:1940 films Category:American films Category:English-language films Category:Black-and-white films Category:Detective films Category:Columbia Pictures film serials Category:Films based on novels Category:Films based on works by Edgar Wallace Category:Films directed by James W. Horne